As Yun's words faded, a gust of wind swept across the sky. Leaves spiraled together, forming a single word—
[TRUE]
It lingered for a moment before scattering back into the darkness.
After a long silence, Hashirama suddenly smacked his lips and laughed.
"Can you tell me…"
"…what exactly you're after from me?"
Yun shook his head slightly, thought for a moment, then said:
"If you're really curious, I can sell you information about both you and Madara. Bundle deal—two chips total."
Hashirama considered it, then shook his head.
"I only need Madara's information. And I'll only pay one chip."
"Whether you want Wood Release or my physique, you can choose only one."
His expression grew solemn.
"The Uzumaki clan was wiped out. Consider this compensation—from a Senju."
Yun smiled.
"Warring States legends. God of Shinobi. First Hokage."
"With titles like those, one chip from you is worth more than most shinobi could ever offer."
"Very well."
"Information on Uchiha Madara, as he is now—as you wish."
"Contract."
A translucent contract materialized in the air. Hashirama scanned it once and accepted without hesitation.
"I don't quite understand what you mean by 'as he is now'," Hashirama said with a chuckle,
"but trying to play word games with someone who survived the Warring States… bold move, Uzumaki brat."
The contract activated.
The trade began.
"Uchiha Madara… is dead."
"?"
For a split second, Hashirama froze.
Yun nearly laughed out loud at the legendary God of Shinobi's stunned expression.
Hashirama leaned closer, squinting dangerously.
"Careful, kid. Joking like that can get you killed."
"You know the Nine-Tails? I once slapped it with a Wood Golem. It didn't even move."
Yun calmly took two steps back.
"A god once sought stability by dividing Yin and Yang—two opposing forces."
"When opposites interact, they give birth to all things. This principle governs the world."
He glanced at Hashirama.
"These were Madara's words, spoken before the stone tablet beneath the Uchiha shrine."
"He told you what the tablet said… but not how he interpreted it."
"Two opposing powers—Senju and Uchiha."
"Coexistence through fusion."
"At the Valley of the End, Madara bit off a piece of your flesh."
Hashirama's eyes widened slightly.
"With Izanagi, he survived."
"And his interpretation wasn't wrong."
"The fusion of Senju and Uchiha—you and him specifically—gave birth to the power of the Sage of Six Paths."
"Beyond the Mangekyō…"
"…the Rinnegan."
Hashirama frowned.
"Then why did Madara die?"
"With the Rinnegan, even without me, Konoha shouldn't have been able to stop him."
Yun shook his head.
"The Sage's power isn't easily obtained."
"Madara only awakened the Rinnegan near the end of his life."
At that moment, Hashirama looked at Yun with an expression that clearly said:
That's it?
That's worth a chip?
He still died of old age?
Yun didn't rush.
"Outer Path — Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique."
"The Rinnegan can resurrect the dead."
"But the cost… is the user's own life."
"To revive himself, Madara needed someone else to cast the jutsu."
"And in the shinobi world, there's a clan famous for bodies capable of containing tailed beasts—"
"The Uzumaki clan."
Hashirama's expression finally changed.
Yun continued calmly:
"Madara left behind what he believed was his own will."
"He manipulated later generations of Uchiha."
"He is waiting for the final piece of his plan."
"When that moment comes, it won't just be Konoha—
the entire shinobi world will fall into silence."
"That is everything about Madara—up to the present."
Hashirama floated upward, staring down at the sleeping village beneath the Hokage Monument.
This village was his dream made real.
For peace, he had sacrificed pride.
For peace, he had pierced his own heart.
For peace, he had killed his closest friend.
And yet—
The world had not become what he hoped.
"Given the current timeline," Hashirama said quietly,
"there must be more to Madara's future than this."
"A man who believes he embodies his own will…"
"There's almost certainly someone else manipulating him."
"I am already dead," he continued softly.
"My soul rests in the Netherworld, yet cannot find peace."
"If I am to return only through Edo Tensei—
and only with borrowed will—"
"I don't know how long that will take."
Yun sighed inwardly.
Hashirama truly did have a way with words.
Compared to him, Naruto's speeches felt… crude.
But—
"First Hokage," Yun said firmly.
"Decades have passed. History has proven that your path was flawed."
Hashirama turned.
"From the founding of Konoha to the end of the Third Great Shinobi War—
less than fifty years passed."
"And yet, three world wars broke out."
"Why?"
Hashirama shook his head slowly.
"Because of you."
"Your power."
"Wood Release. The God of Shinobi."
"As long as you lived, no one dared start a war."
"Because you demanded peace."
The silence grew heavy.
Finally, Hashirama spoke:
"Absolute power breeds absolute darkness."
"The longer such power exists, the more corruption it invites."
"Perhaps… I really was wrong."
"But as a soul bound to the Netherworld, I can only warn the future—
I cannot guide it."
He drifted closer to Yun and smiled faintly.
"Madara was foolish."
"And from your words, I can tell—he's being used."
"A silent shinobi world is not one I desire."
"And I believe…"
He looked Yun in the eyes.
"…someone who dreams like you wouldn't want that either."
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